Another Airbender?
by EdwardClone13
Summary: What if there was someone meant to protect the Avatar? What if this someone was the living incarnate of the legendary Phoenix, which was more powerful than the dragons and Sky Bisons in both Fire and Airbending? The spirits were ready for action.
1. Chapter 1

Zuko sighed in longing as he watched the Gaang lay around the campfire, seeming to all be sleeping peacefully. It seems that they had fallen asleep outside instead of in their rooms, like normal. Sitting on his vigilante post deep in the shadows and high above the group, he could easily see far into the distance, even a small chunk of the ocean at the base of the cliff, which was alternately highlighted with moonlight and shadowed by the craggy cliff. He turned back to the group, watching as each child huddled close to someone. Sokka and Katara were snuggled close to each other, while Toph was back to back with Aang, but not quite touching. Teo was wadded against Haru, with the Duke using both older boys as a bed. Zuko had crawled up into a broken wedge in one of the extremely thick support beams to play sentry, almost completely hidden by vines.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, but couldn't bring himself to a state of peace. The pain of being truly alone in this family of children sent a stabbing pain into his heart, viciously pointing out his lack of people skills. In his moment of self-pity, he almost didn't hear Aang beginning to struggle in his sleep, wriggling away from Toph, but not waking her. Zuko watched in interest as the boy gained a pained look on his face, before an unknown emotion seemed to pull him towards waking the child Avatar up. Was it... Compassion? Concern? Yup, must be concern. Certainly not compassion. _'I can honestly say that I am going insane,'_ Zuko thought as he climbed down from his little hiding place and used every ounce of his Blue Spirit stealth and grace to make his way to Aang without stepping or waking anyone else up. He knelt down next to the now whimpering boy, but hesitated. _'Maybe I should leave him alone, not reveal that I saw him in his time of weakness...'_ Zuko shook these thoughts off and awkwardly placed his hand on the young Avatar's shoulder, shaking him. "C'mon Avatar, wake up..." He mumbled, almost to himself. What he did not expect was for Aang to shoot upright and deliver a spike of air directly into his chest, sending him flying across the room and into a wall, effectively waking up the rest of the group. He heard a loud crunching noise as he slid to the floor and crumbled onto his side, coughing. There was a loud ringing in his ears and a strange tingling in his arm. He clamped his left hand over the spot and felt blood, lots of it.

-----

Aang was having a nightmare. A burning pyre of fire shone on the horizon as Aang seemed to hover in space, watching from a distance. A small boy with Air Nomad clothing was sobbing and struggling again an older man as he was forcibly carried away from the burning temple. Aang now recognized the place. It was the Southern Air temple. Aang sucked in a breath. No, there was no extensive fire damage to the temple, so how could it be burning so violently? Aang's thoughts were pulled away as he watched his people be viciously slaughtered by grim-faced Fire Nation soldiers. The last monk standing was Monk Gyatso, who turned away to face Aang. _"Why did you leave us, my son?"_ He asked as an enferno engulfed him. Aang cried out, as if he were in pain himself. He readied a strike to attack the Firebenders when he heard a familiar voice.

_"C'mon Avatar, wake up..."_

Aang jolted into a sitting position, air-bending the intruder away from him as quickly and violently as he dared. How had the Fire Nation Prince gotten inside his santuary? After several tense moments, events from the past few days ran through his mind and he recalled taking Zuko under their wing, but not truly into their group. He looked up with sudden clarity and saw that the rest of the group was awake. Teo and the Duke were kneeling -in Teo's case, sitting- around him as Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Haru faced the lone Firebender, who was flush against the floor, gripping his upper right arm, as though in pain.

"Get up and fight like a real man, you lousy Fire Nation trash!" Sokka yelled harshly, boomerang in one hand and meteor sword in the other. He glowered at the downed ex-prince.

Katara turned to Aang and knelt down next to him, in between him and his view of Zuko. "Are you alright, Aang? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Aang was stunned. He couldn't understand why Zuko had been sitting so close to him, unless... "Guys, stop! He was just trying to wake me up!" the boy shouted, pulling himself up, with Katara's help.

"Are you sure, Aang?" Katara asked, glaring at Zuko, who was still against the floor and making no move to lift himself up. His breathing was harsh and irregular, and there was a dark puddle around his prone form.

Toph's eyes widened in shock. "Guys, Sparky's heartbeat is slowing down!"

"What??" Aang exclaimed, running over to the older teenager, causing blood to splash under his bare feet. Aang felt the blood squelch between his toes and felt sick. He couldn't have caused this, could he? "Zuko, Zuko! Can you hear me?"

Zuko's eyes were barely open, but they locked onto Aang's, his gaze strangely too lucid for the situation. Aang offhandedly noticed that Zuko's eyes were mismatched, his right eye was the color of the sun, the scarred one the dark gray of stormclouds, not unlike his own. "A-avatar?" Zuko groaned, his brow furrowed. He seemed to be trying to focus on something Aang couldn't see. His grip on his arm loosened, revealing something white that was jaggedly piercing through the skin, gleaming pale silver in the light. Aang felt the nausea wash up and he turned away, retching.

"What? What is it?" Sokka asked, warily walking over to the two. He also felt the hot, sticky blood on his feet and he spotted the bone protruding from the torn skin of Zuko's upper right arm. He raced over, knelt down, and shoved Aang away. "Get Katara. Now!" Sokka barked, ripping the sleeve from his shirt and tying it securely around Zuko's right arm just above the broken skin.

Aang willingly drew back and feebily called to Katara, who raced over to him. She noticed the blood staining his clothes, and the angry look returned to her eyes. "Aang, did he do something to you?! Are you hurt?!" She asked, feeling along his arms and torso for any type of wound she believed Zuko had caused.

Normally, he would be pleased with the way Katara was running her hands along his chest, but he was too shocked to instantly reply. When her words registered in his mind, he seemed to snap. "No he didn't, Katara!!" He shouted, much to everyone's shock. Aang could feel tears burning their way down his cheeks. "I attacked him for no reason, and now he's bleeding to death!"

The room burst into chaos as everyone began crowding around Zuko, save for Katara, Aang, and Toph. "Hey, back off!" Sokka yelled at them, shooing everyone away. "Get out of here! He needs space to breath, and I need Katara! Get over here!"

Katara reluctantly walked over, her nose wrinkled in disgust at the smell and at her patient. "What happened?" She asked, crouching down next to her brother, trying to stay as clean of blood as she could.

Sokka seemed worried. "I think that when the bone pierced the skin, it hit a major artery. I'm surprised he hasn't bled out."

"Well, lucky him." Katara grumbled, drawing water out of her trusted waterskin. "Sokka, is his awake?"

"'M awake, Waterbender." Zuko groaned, his breath still wheezy. His eyes were not focused on either of them, but he seemed lucid.

Katara's grin was slightly sardonic. "This is going to hurt, 'Prince Zuko'. Do you think you could handle it?"

Zuko nodded easily, which shocked the Watertribe siblings. The older teen blinked up at them in confusion, as if he wondered what the hubbub was about, but he had to know, right? His arm was broken and he was bleeding to death for goodness sakes! "...What are you going to do, anyway?" He asked, his speech slightly slurred.

Katara nodded to her brother, who was a little concerned about his sister's expression and Zuko's apparent confusion. Sokka glanced apolegetically at Zuko before pulling the bone back into the flesh, fully exposing the torn artery and nerves to the cold air before setting the bone in place, accidentally causing the bones to grate almost audibly against one another.

What happened next caused the others to recoil in horror and turn away from the threesome, discomfort and or pain etched into their expressions. They were expecting a groan, maybe, a bitten lip as a scream was forcibly swallowed, probably, hell, even howls of pain would have been better than what Zuko had done. Zuko began to laugh. The sound caused Aang to weep all the harder and Toph had a pained expression on her face, feeling every ounce of agony that Zuko should have been feeling. She stood in silence, shuddering with every laugh that tore its way from the ex-prince's lips. Hearing an almost _good natured_ laugh escaping the proud warrior's tight composure in a situations where he should be in pain shocked and disturbed her to the point of nausea.

Katara shook her head while placing her water-gloved hand over the puncture wound, healing the tissue and pulling it back together. Next, she worked the water deeper into Zuko's flesh, slowly knitting the bone back together. She wouldn't heal it completely, but she would start the process. She wouldn't admit it, but she felt a tug of compassion for the teen, who continued to laugh, as if to mock her and her apparent lack of healing. She viciously squashed the feeling and stood up, blood-bending the blood into the air and over the side of the cliff. Confused when more blood continued to appear, she began to check him for other wounds. She soon found the wound on the back of his head, which was very severe. She was actually worried that it could cause lasting damage. "Sokka, get me more water." She demanded, taking her sleeve and absently brushing blood from Zuko's face. "Toph, come here and make a stone splint for me."

Toph uneasily crawled over and bended the earth she was so fond of. It slowly creeped up the teenager's arm, encasing the entire limb in stone before she turned and fled, burrowing her head into the returning Sokka's chest, still shuddering. Sokka looked shocked, but he tossed his sister the full water skin before his arms wound around Toph, comforting the blind girl.

After Katara healed the wound to Zuko's head, he slowly began to stop laughing, soon resorting to slight snickers and giggles. He sat up with difficulty, but Katara refused to help him up. She had already gone over to Aang to comfort him. The scarred teen wiped the tears from his face, still grinning slightly. "I didn't know you were so good with broken bones, _Sokka._" Zuko snorted, leaning against the wall for support, scaring the hell out of everyone.

"How the hell did you know my name?!" Sokka asked, looking startled. "And what the hell are you doing, getting up?! You need rest!"

Zuko snorted again, waving his left hand carelessly at Sokka and his unneeded bout of concern. "Bah, you're too serious, I'm fine. Besides, I've dealt with worse, quite obviously." He deadpanned, motioning with an unneeded flourish at his scar, causing Sokka to look away. He continued. "What I'm surprised about is that the Avatar would be so violent, even in a nightmare-induced stupor." Zuko rested his head in his left hand in thought, his next comment scaring the others. "Now if he could only put that kind of energy into training..."

A waterwhip dangerously close to Zuko's head sent his train of thought off a cliff to explode into shock. He looked up and noticed a VERY angry waterbender glaring at him. "Are you saying you want Aang to end up like _this_," She said, looking down at Aang, who still had his head buried in her shirt, "after every training session with you?!? Are you truly heartless!?"

Zuko didn't answer her. He had slumped over and seemed to be asleep. The only hint that he hadn't fallen that way naturally was the fact that Toph was on her knees next to him with one of her hands balled into a fist. She turned and glared right back at Katara. "That's not what he meant and you know it! He wasn't in his right mind due to the CRAPPY job SOMEONE did with setting it!" She shouted waving her hand in Sokka's direction, causing said boy to flinch. "Not to mention the even CRAPPIER job YOU did with healing it!" Before Katara could reply, Toph continued, in full rant mode now. "I know you can heal broken bones! You've done it before, for just about all of us, but you're willing to let you stupid little prejudices get in the way of Aang's only firebending training?! His only chance at gaining mastery of all elements?! His only chance at SAVING THE WORLD?!?!?" Toph's voice rose in volume and octaves with each word.

"But Toph-" Katara stopped when Toph's blind but clouded green eyes locked accurately with hers, causing the Waterbender to flinch and turn away from the unnerving gaze.

"Besides, all Zuko has been is nice and helpful since he came here, and EVERYONE," She turned and glared at everyone, but none would would look her in the eye, "but me and Aang have been nothing but untrusting and pissy-pantsy since he showed up! Why the hell can't you just trust Aang and I?! I'm a fucking human lie detector for freakin' sakes! I would know if he had something up his sleeves, and Aang's usually a pretty good judge of character! Yes, he may be a little too trusting sometimes, but he's a smart kid! The rest of you need to grow a pair and treat him with some fucking respect!"

"Toph!" Katara shouted, the only one truly unnaffected by the girl's speech. "Watch your tongue!"

Toph just growled in frustration, sounding not unlike a irritated saber-tooth moose-lion before she grabbed Zuko by the shoulders and tried to drag Zuko over to the mass of sleeping rolls while still on her knees. Sokka, seeing her plight, placed his hand on her shoulder. She stopped, and the coffee-colored teen easily hefted Zuko up, bridal style. They were shocked by how easy Sokka could do that, when he had trouble trying to heft Katara or even Aang up.

"Where to, Toph?" He asked. "His room or one of the unused sleeping mats?"

"If we put him in his room, we wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him, so over here. Put him by me and Aang, I don't trust him with the rest of you." Toph's harsh words struck a small dart into everyone except for Aang, who had calmed down and glanced over at Zuko with puffy, red eyes. "Alright!" She snapped, causing everyone to straighten up in attention. "Go to sleep. NOW. Forget this happened, and don't mention it in the morning. If Sparky can't remember it when he wakes up, then no one tell him the truth. Do we all agree that he fell out of his little hide-a-way and broke his arm that way?" A chorus of 'yes ma'ams' from everyone but Katara satisfied her. Sokka made Zuko comfortable on one of the pallets before going standing up and leaving the room, heading for his own resting place. Katara followed him as well, angry stormclouds hovering over her head. Toph made herself comfortable against Zuko's chest, stealing his body heat while Aang leaned against the firebender's back. The rest also left for their respective sleeping places, tension hovering over everyone until only Aang, Toph, and Zuko were left near the dwindling fire. Soon Aang was the only one awake.

Aang turned back and looked at the Firebender, whose breathing was still wheezy. _'How does Zuko have a gray eye? I should ask him in the morning.'_ Aang thought before rolling away from the exiled prince to fall into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Um.. hi. This is Jimmy, and I just wanted to apologize for not saying anything last chapter! Sorry! *Looks nervous* Anyway, I'm still quite new at writing chapter fanfics. The last one I produced I hated so much I made a copy of it and burned it. *Laughs* There's no way it'll make its way here, sorry...  
Toph: Just get on with it! Seriously, don't you know anything?!  
I'm sorry! Anyway, I own nothing but my imagination, which is suffering for the moment, so please don't expect this to be too great... Now, on with the story! *Grins*

* * *

Zuko woke at dawn to a feeling of warmth that was unfamiliar to him. It wasn't the feeling of his firebending, but something external. He tried to ignore the feeling of the sun as its influence called to him, but it's power was too great for his will. He unwillingly forced his eyes open and was greeted with an odd sight. He had not one, but TWO twelve-year-olds who were snuggled up tightly against him. While Toph had her arms and body attached to his chest like a gecko-bird, Aang was similarly wrapped around his back. Even stranger was the metallic stone encasement that trapped his right arm in one position and against his chest. He blinked again, confirming that this wasn't a dream before he shot up, depositing a semi-awake Toph and Aang to the ground. Events from last night bloomed before his mind's eye and he quickly scrambled away from the two children who were both staring at him with sleep-induced confusion.

"Wh-what the hell?!" He hissed, putting a good ten feet between himself and the others. "What the hell are you trying to do?!"

Toph groaned before flopping back onto the ground, falling asleep quickly. Aang, on the other hand, became more alert at the look Zuko was shooting at him. The older teen looked like a panicked wild animal, ready to flee at the slightest move. "Zuko, it's alright," He breathed out calmly, trying not to startle the Firebender. "We were just making sure you were going to be ok."

The wild look in Zuko's mismatched eyes dimmed as he began to grasp what his mind was trying to say. "...Why is my arm encased like this? Did the Waterbender fail at healing me?"

Aang sighed. "Zuko, she has a name just as much as the rest of us. You should call her by it."

"You're avoiding my question, Avatar. Why is my arm trapped within this rock prison?"

"It's serving as a cast until your arm properly heals."

Zuko snorted. "So the Waterbender deliberately failed. Figures."

Aang looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing," He replied, dismissing it. "So, are you just going to leave me like this for the three to four weeks it'll take to heal my arm, or are you going to make _Katara_ heal me properly?"

Aang looked uncomfortable. "Well, I don't want to upset Katara, but I need to start training as soon as possible..."

Zuko realized what he was saying and looked away apologetically. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't try to make you choose between your friends and... me. I can still teach you, even with a broken arm. I don't don't want to impose or anything," He muttered before he practically fled the area, being swallowed into the slowly vanishing shadows.

The Airbender looked surprised before his expression became a little put off. This new Zuko so quickly retreated into his little shell like a scared turtleduck! He had every right to say what he said, since Aang needed him at his best. He sighed before falling down to lie next to Toph once more, looking a little aggravated. _'I'll talk to Katara later.'_With those thoughts, he fell into a shallow sleep, careful not to wake Toph. She was never a morning person.

* * *

After several minutes of running, Zuko stopped as he leaned against a wall, staring down at the large empty space close to his feet. He slapped himself in the forehead for running off so blindly, like a schoolgirl confronting her crush! He was more dignified than that, he was the prince of the almighty Fire Nation, after all!

His eyes opened wide with shock. _'Where did that come from?'_ He thought, swallowing thickly. He had thought he had moved on, that he wouldn't be haunted by these thoughts! He KNEW the Fire Nation was in the wrong, and they had to be stopped, so why was he thinking like he used to?

_"You seriously don't believe all that nonsense the Avatar is spitting out, do you?"_

Zuko literally choked on air as he looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice, which was scarilly similar to his own. "Who's there?!" He growled after he stopped choking. "Toph, if that's you, this isn't funny."

Whoever it was chuckled darkly. _"Oh, Zuko, you haven't forgotten about me, have you?"_

Zuko looked over to the abyss and was scared speechless. There, standing in front of him, was an intangible version of himself, only back when he was still hunting the Avatar, ponytail and all. It floated above the abyss as though there was solid ground beneath it's fee- _'Holy shit!'_ He thought, backing away from the edge. _'It doesn't have any feet!'_

'Zuko' laughed again. _"You see a very accurate vision of yourself and you're afraid because it doesn't have feet? How far you've fallen..."_

The ex-Fire Nation Prince's eyes widened before they narrowed into dangerous slits. "I'm not afraid of you. You don't exist anymore! Go back to that empty pit I stuck you in."

_"Now now, that's no way to talk to nobility, you know that. Father would be so disappointed in you. So is Azula, your precious baby sister, whom you love to a fault. Even Mai is disappointed, for you've left her alone once more. You've forgotten who you truly are."_

"You're lying! I'm being who I am, not some angry jerk who tried to help destroy the world! That's not who I am!"

The other Zuko tsked. _"No. You are Prince Zuko, heir to the throne, but the moment you abandoned your role, you forgot who you were. The only 'destiny' you have in life is to follow the will of your present Fire Lord, then when you take over, you are to follow in his footsteps and crush the will of this world. THAT is your true destiny!"_

Zuko closed his eyes tightly and shook his head furiously. "No! My destiny is to help the Avatar defend the world and defeat the Fire Lord!" He shouted, trying to drown out his other self's influences. He vaguely noticed that the more it got to him, the more coporeal the other being became.

_"What would Mother say if she saw you now?"_

Zuko's eyes widened in shock at the question. He couldn't think of an answer. His old self continued on, trying to worm its way back into control.

_"Mother would be even more ashamed than the rest of them. To see you act so, so... weak and helpless, she would never be able to look you in the eye! She would just stand there in horror before turning away and leaving you once more, in every sense of the word!"_

Zuko clapped one hand over his undamaged ear. "Shut up!" He roared angrilly, somewhat thankful that no one was here to see his mental breakdown. "Mother's dead, and she's never coming back! Don't bring her into this! If you were a part of me, you'd stop and leave!"

The old Zuko smirked in a way that reminded the real Zuko of Azula. _"If that is what you want, fine. I'll leave, but I'll still be there. Before you or your pathetic little 'friends' know it, I'll come back and destroy them all, and leave the blood on your hands, forever!"_The nearly solid form slowly became intangible once more before it vanished completely. A wind began to blow, as if to mark it's passing, causing shivers to run down Zuko's spine. He collapsed against the wall, shivering. He rested his suddenly sweaty forehead against the cool stone of the splint Toph had forced upon him.

"I have to get rid of this thing, then I need to medidate. I think I'm going insane..." He muttered to himself, glaring balefully at the stone that gleamed o so innocently in the light. Flames licked at his left hand, ready and willing to devour the black stone that dared to bother its master.

* * *

"Hey, Sokka, can you call Zuko to breakfast?" Aang asked the older Watertribe boy, giving him puppydog eyes.

"What about NO do you not understand, Aang?" Sokka asked, groaning at the persistent boy. "I don't care if that Fire Nation scum wants to starve himself; it just means that there's more for the rest of us." Aang's pathetic puppy eyes changed into a 'kicked, starved little puppy who's just begging for help' look. Sokka saw the look out of the corner of his eye and grimaced. He tried to be strong, wear out the power of the look, but it broke down his resolve, leaving him a broken, miserable man who would do anything Aang said. "Alright, alright, just stop with that looK!"

Aang grinned in satisfaction. "Thanks Sokka! But Sokka, please be nice to him. He's having a hard time adapting, so I want you to be nice and gentle around him. I've never seen ANYONE so nervous before."

Sokka snorted. "That's because he knows we're onto his little game and that we'll kill him the moment he calls his little sister over."

"Sokka! I'm telling you, he's changed!"

"Whatever," Sokka replied doubtfully. "Anyway, where is our crazy Firebender?"

Aang shrugged. "I don't know. He woke up this morning, at dawn, and panicked before running off. I haven't seen or heard him since."

Sokka groaned loudly before he walked out of the room, to search for the annoying Firebender. "Stupid jerkbender's making me miss breakfast, he'll pay for this..."

Ten minutes of searching and the Firebender was nowhere to be seen. "Damn, if I didn't know Zuko was a lousy Firebender, I'd say he was a chameleon-peacock or something!" Sokka grumbled angrily as he stumbled over a seemingly harmless lump of stone that stuck out just enough for him to trip over it. He glared daggers at the offending rock but it just sat there, all innocent.

As he continued to curse at the stupid rock and the stupid firebender and life in general, a faint smell began to pervade the air. Sokka couldn't decide what the scent was until it grew stronger, coming from a small alcove he could barely see down the dark hallway. It smelt like cooking meat. Sokka's eyes widened. "If Zuko has meat then I'll just eat with him! THAT'S why he's not coming to breakfast!" At the prospect of juicy, rich meat just finished cooking over a fire spurred Sokka into action, causing him to dash exictedly towards the small opening.

When Sokka burst into the light, the sight before him stunned him, struck him in the core of his very being. He watched in shocked horror for several moments before he turned away and actually vomited from the disgusting sight.

Zuko looked up from the halfway removed cast on his arm and was mildly surprised. "Oh, hi Wate-I mean Sokka. What are you doing here?" He asked pleasantly. He was confused as to why Sokka looked so horrified, or had even vomited in the first place. His brow furrowed. He wasn't that bad to look at, was he?

Sokka's hands were shaking wildly when he looked back at Zuko. "What the hell are you doing?!" He whispered hoarsely. The o so pleasant smell of roasting meat had been Zuko's arm being burnt under cherry red metal, and the older boy acted like it didn't even phase him! "Look at your arm, dammit! How can you not feel that?!"

Zuko blinked in confusion once more before looking down at his arm, which was not a pretty sight. It was covered with horrible red burns that were actually weeping before his eyes. He glanced down at his left hand, which was an even worse sight. It was alternating between burns so horrible they were black and flaky and bits and pieces of flesh missing. He stared in fascination as he twisted the appendage to and fro, watching the damaged muscles move, exposed to human sight. He could even see a small white piece of bone here and there. He glanced at Sokka once more, looking a little shocked. "...What am I supposed to be feeling, Sokka? I don't feel a thing." He said this perfectly calm, as though not noticing the worst set of burns either of the boys had ever seen was a typical, everyday thing.

Sokka could only stare in horrid fascination as Zuko stood with ease, wincing when the teen's injured hand dug into the ground, picking up bits of dirt and rock that stuck in the soft muscle and harder bone. "You need Katara, now! You're wounds need to be healed, and fast!"

Zuko looked slightly uncomfortable. "But I don't to bother anyone..." He muttered, looking worried. "Seeing me bothers her. Besides, it doesn't hurt. Never has."

Sokka was momentarily struck speechless. His mouth moved but no sound came out. Instead, he decided to grab the pale boy by the upper right arm and drug him to the rest of the gaang, who were somewhat anxiously awaiting their arrival.

* * *

"What is TAKING them so long?!" Katara groused as she continued to stir the rest of breakfast, after having fed the people who were present. They were all still hungry, but Katara refused to give anyone seconds until Sokka showed up to eat, with Zuko or without. Aang had protested, saying that they should all wait for Zuko as well, but Katara wouldn't listen, not even for the young Avatar. "Toph, can you feel either of them?"

Toph glared somewhere to Katara's left as she rested with her feet resting above the ground, the soles still red and sore. "Uh, hello?! I can't 'see' very well, remember? Don't ask me!"

Katara growled. "Don't take it out on me Toph, just because the traitor decided to burn your feet! Serves you right for trusting him in the first place..."

Toph's eyes narrowed in anger. "What did you say, Sugar Queen?! Are you saying that I DESERVED to have my feet burned?!"

"No! I'm just saying, bad things happen to people who try to trust Zuko. He always double-crosses them!"

"Katara, please! He's really changed! I can tell," Aang replied hastily, trying to avoid a cat fight between the only two girls in the group. A faceoff between Katara and Toph always left the diminuative Earthbender as the winner and a sulking, EXTREMELY pissed of Katara who took her anger out on everyone, even Aang. "A-anyway, I'm going to go look for them."

Katara's eyes narrowed into thin slits, looking like an angry tigersnake. "I forbid you to go looking for Zuko, Aang. It's just too dangerous. He could betray us at any moment, and I don't want you anywhere near him unless someone else is around!"

Aang grinned in response. "But Sokka will be with me! I bet he's already found Zuko, but got lost on the way back. I'll go find them and bring them back!"

Katara was about to reply when Toph straightened up, looking worried. "Snoozles is coming!" She called out to everyone else.

"Finally..." Haru huffed from his position on the other side of the fire, absently grooming his moustache.

"No, something's wrong. He seems panicked about something... His heartbeats insanely fast..."

Katara's eyes widened. "Toph, where is he?!" She asked, half shouting.

Now, before Toph could reply, Sokka burst into the fountain room where they always gathered, breathing heavily. Panic had definitely set into Sokka's mind, because his visible hand was shaking, there was sweat running down his face and neck, despite the cool wind that was gently weaving through the open area, and his eyes were wild with fear. "Katara, I need your help!" He huffed. He pulled Zuko out into the open, who had seemed to be trying to hide behind the Watertribe member like a small child meeting strangers for the first time.

Katara was about to huff angrilly before she smelt the aroma of burning skin and saw the damage to Zuko's arm and hand, along with the melted edges of the cast, which only covered his elbow and forearm. "Sokka, what the hell did he do?!" She asked, immediately running over to him, anger forgotten, only worry appearing.

Sokka's voice shook but his words were clear. "He says he was just trying to remove the cast so he could teach Aang firebending, and tried to heat it enough to pry it off. Look at his hand, Katara! I've never seen anyone like this before, and he says he can't feel a thing!"

Zuko looked a little shell-shocked as everyone gathered around him as best as they could, only to rear back in disgust. Haru pulled the Duke away before he could see, ignoring the young boy's protests. Toph, angry at being ignored and out of the loop, shouted, "Guys, whats going on?! What happened to Sparky?!"

Aang pulled away, swallowing his nausea. "I-i'll tell you l-later, Toph," He muttered, looking away from Zuko, causing the boy to look a little hurt. He didn't understand what the fuss was all about. Yes, he burned himself, but as long as it didn't hurt, it wasn't a big deal, and he could still move his arms adequately. The cast was a problem still, since it caused all movement in his elbow to be obsolete, but he could deal with burns. He WAS a Firebender, after all, but if the Avatar couldn't even look at him, he must have done something wrong.

Katara began to pull Sokka and Zuko away, heading into the hallways that led to everyone's rooms. "You guys can keep eating!" She shouted behind her. "I'm going to take care of these two and I'll be back."

With that said, they disappeared around a corner. Silence reigned for about thirty seconds before Toph voiced her complaints. "C'mon guys! I'm hungry over here! Someone get me another bowl!" Teo and the Duke also began to eat after the young boy brought Toph her bowl of porridge. Haru and Aang, on the other hand, couldn't bring themselves to LOOK at the food, let alone eat it. If they did, they both knew they'd be sicker than dogs.

* * *

It was well after lunch by the time Katara left Zuko's room and wearily walked back to the fountain, where everyone was worriedly gathered. Aang had explained to Toph what had happened, but everyone left the Duke in the dark about it, simply saying that the Firebender had injured himself and needed rest. Toph was the first one to speak up after Katara plopped down close to the fire.

"I told you something bad would happen if you didn't heal Zuko, and here it is. How is he supposed to firebend now?" Toph asked, looking smug, yet somehow worried at the same time.

Katara sighed. "Toph, this isn't anything to joke about. I mean, he heated the stone to its melting point and pried it off with his bare hands! There is no way he could have done that without passing out from the pain!"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Quite obviously he didn't pass out, Katara. Is he going to be ok?"

Katara looked worried. "I don't think so."

"What?!" Aang shouted, standing up swiftly. "What's wrong with him?!"

Katara stared at her hands while she fidgeted. "I don't know what happened. I had just finished healing him, and as soon as I turned to leave, he collapsed. He has a really high fever, the highest I've ever encountered. I didn't feel any infection or sickness or anything, and I don't know what to do!" Her grip tightened in her lap, the cloth bunching around her hands. "He's just lying there..."

Aang sucked in a breath before racing toward the exiled prince's room, fearing the worst.

* * *

Hi again! Well, we're at the end of this chapter, and I hope it's good enough for your expectations! Just to let you know, I'm usually not this much of a mush, but I REEEAAALLLYY want people to read this, and if being a pushover will do it, then I'll do it! And I was actually really nervous about posting it. But I feel better. And flames aren't welcome, but I don't care if you send them. I'm just going to give them to Zuko so he can play with them. You know about kids and their fire. Silly pyros.... Anyway, please review! Any is good, especially kind criticism. Byes!

Hit the review button and review, damn you!


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